I Didn't Think So!
Posted by Bal Vallah on June 24, 1998 at 02:08:29:

The setting is a well know state university about six or seven years ago in a huge lecture
hall (approximately 1000 students) for a Calculus final.

Apparently this particular calculus teacher wasn't very well liked. He was one of those
guys who would stand at the front of the class and yell out how much time was remaining
before the end of a test, a real charmer. Since he was so busy gallivanting around the room
making sure that nobody cheated and that everyone was aware of how much time they had left
before their failure on the test was complete, he had the students stack the completed
tests on the huge podium at the front of the room. This made for quite a mess, remember
there were 1000 students in the class.

Anyway, during this particular final, one guy entered the test needing a decent grade to
pass the class. His only problem with Calculus was that he did poorly when rushed, and this
guy standing in the front of the room barking out how much time was left before the tests
had to be handed in didn't help him at all. He figured he wanted to assure himself of a
good grade, so he hardly flinched when the professor said "pencils down and submit your
scantron sheets and work to piles at the front of the room".

Five minutes turned into ten, ten into twenty, twenty into forty ... almost an hour after
the test was "officially over", our friend finally put down his pencil, gathered up his
work, and headed to the front of the hall to submit his final. The whole time, the
professor sat at the front of the room, strangely waiting for the student to complete his
exam.

"What do you think you're doing?" the professor asked as the student stood in front of him
about to put down his exam on one of the neatly stacked piles of exams (the professor had
plenty of time to stack the mountain of papers while he waited) It was clear that the
professor had waited only to give the student a hard time.

"Turning in my exam," retorted the student confidently. "I'm afraid I have some bad news
for you," the professor gloated, "Your exam is an hour late. You've FAILED it and,
consequently, I'll see you next term when you repeat my course."

The student smiled slyly and asked the professor "Do you know who I am?"

"What?" replied the professor gruffly, annoyed that the student showed no sign of emotion.

The student rephrased the question mockingly, "Do you know what my name is?"

"NO", snarled the professor.

The student looked the professor dead in the eyes and said slowly, "I didn't think so", as
he lifted up one of the stacks half way, shoved his test neatly into the center of the
stack, let the stack fall burying his test in the middle, turned around, and walked
casually out of the huge lecture hall.

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